John,
Your strategy for inducing change using an electrical circuit
analogy was enlightening and thought provoking; it stimulated my desire to
confront my knowledge of systems thinking once again.
At first your analogy seem soul-less and reminded me of black box
theory. A theory spawned by the complexity of electronic equipment.
Instead of trying to analyze the infinite number of connection
permutations in the system to repair what is broken, it treats the
equipment as a whole and tries to correct the problem not by fixing the
broken connection but by inserting new input designed to cancel out the
broken connection. In other words, the broken connection does not have to
be removed or corrected if other parts in the system can be made to
function differently or to change their relationship with one another.
This is how I viewed your analogy.
As a change agent, if he or she realizes that the human
relationship system is inextricably connected that the functioning of any
member can be understood in terms of the presence of others, then the most
successful way to bring change to the organization is not by concentrating
on the input of others; it's to complex and the system will do it for you.
The possibilities of change, therefore, are maximized when the change
agent concentrates on modifying his or her own way of functioning, his or
her input, into the organizational black box. In other words, a change
agent does not have to remove or correct dysfunctional members just make
the system function differently - add a little resistance.
David Fissell
djfdaf@tscnet.com
--david fissell <djfdaf@tscnet.com>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>